Physics

Physics is the foundation of all physical science, the study of the fundamental principles by which nature operates. Physics students at Le Moyne enjoy close working relationships with their classmates and with the physics faculty in a course of study that includes in-depth exploration of the physics of electromagnetic fields, analytical mechanics, electronics, computational techniques, relativity, and quantum mechanics. Laboratory courses introduce students to experimental technique and advanced laboratory electronics and equipment while investigating in-depth the physics of classical and quantum systems. Even non-lab courses frequently incorporate hands-on elements so that students develop a solid understanding of the connection between the physical world and the theory studied in classes. All physics students complete a semester-long capstone project of their own design that marries individual interests with the knowledge mastered in coursework.

With a strong liberal-arts background, a Le Moyne educated physics graduate is just as prepared to enter graduate school to become a working physicist as to begin medical or law school, or to embark on careers in science or technical writing, teaching, finance, or engineering.

Engineering Programs

The department also partners with the L.C. Smith College of Engineering at Syracuse University for a Dual Degree, Bachelor's + Master's program.

What's New

The physics program welcomes Dr. Christopher Bass to the faculty! Dr. Bass joins Le Moyne from the Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, where he was a staff scientist. Dr. Bass specializes in experimental fast neutron physics, which has applications ranging from fundamental physics to homeland security.

2013 Physics graduates went on to positions at Carrier and other area companies; graduate programs at the University of California, the University of Arizona, the University of Rochester, and the University of Maryland; and, of course, engineering students went on to join the master's program the LC Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University.

Physics and engineering students did internships over the summer of 2013 ranging from stints at NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Barrett Paving, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, to area technology firm Illumination Technologies.

The college completed renovations on physics facilities in the Coyne Science Center, meaning that the physics and engineering programs are operating out of all-new classrooms and laboratories!

The LEEPS Learning Community, Physics Club, Engineering Club and the Physics Program sponsored a trip to the Kennedy Space Flight Center in Florida. Some of us went skydiving – the highest tandem skydive in North America (18,000 ft)!

Associate Professor of Physics and Director of the Program in Physics David Craig visited Lousiana State University and delivered an invited talk on his research there.

Stamatios Kyrkos, Associate Professor of Physics, with co-authors from Boston College, the University of Vermont, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, has published a paper titled "Collective modes in two-dimensional binary Yukawa systems" in the journal Physical Review E.

Associate Professor of Physics and Director of the Program in Physics David Craig published several papers on the quantum mechanics of gravity in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity. The first article, titled "Dynamical Eigenfunctions and Critical Density in Loop Quantum Cosmology", explores the mathematics underlying the discovery that in loop quantum gravity there is no big bang! The second, titled "Consistent Probabilities in Loop Quantum Cosmology", is the latest product of an ongoing collaboration between Craig and LSU physicist Parampreet Singh.

Seniors in physics and engineering presented their capstone projects at the end of the Fall 2012 term. Projects included experimental explorations of superconductors, a road re-engineering project, the physics of electrocardiograms, and a working jet engine!

The LEEPS Learning Community, Physics Club, Engineering Club and the Physics Program sponsored a trip to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Associate Professor of Physics and Director of the Program in Physics David Craig was appointed as a Visiting Researcher at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics for the 2011-2012 academic year. Perimeter is the largest theoretical physics institute in the world.

Seniors in physics and engineering presented their capstone projects at the end of the Fall 2011 term.

Physics major Elizabeth Orr spent the summer at Iowa State University developing Green!Quest, a video game designed to teach high school students about biorenewable energy sources.

Physics minor Andrew Acquaviva has been selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST] to participate in its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at the NIST national headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. With this invitation, Acquaviva becomes the first student in Le Moyne history to be offered one of these prestigious fellowships. Acquaviva was also the MVP of the 2009-2010 Swimming and Diving Team.

The LEEPS Learning Community, Physics Club, and Physics Program sponsored a trip to CERN, the international particle accelerator facility in Geneva, Switzerland, over Spring Break, March 2011. Students and faculty toured CERN, visited the Einstein Museum and Einstein's apartment in Bern, and took in other scientific wonders in Europe.

Associate Professor of Physics and Director of the Program in Physics David Craig published a paper on the quantum mechanics of gravity in Physical Review D: Particles and Fields. The article, titled "Consistent Probabilities in Wheeler-DeWitt Quantum Cosmology", is the latest product of an ongoing collaboration between Craig and LSU physicist Parampreet Singh.

Seniors in physics and engineering presented their capstone projects at the end of the Fall 2010 term. These projects included

Engineering a Roof Rehabiliation by Alex Woods

Developing a Light Sensor by Thomas Piazza and Tyler Fairchild

Building an Algorithmic Trading System by Nick Mosconi

An Application of the Coupled Cluster Method Using Fortran and Mathematica by Christopher Carson

Engineering student Rhett Pinckney was at Boston College summer 2010 doing research in their REU program with Prof. Zhifeng Ren.

Physics major Chris Carson did research on quantum scattering with Dr. C. Magnus L. Rittby at Texas Christian University summer 2010 as part of their REU program.

Physics minor Russell Goodman spent summer 2010 in the MIT Summer Research Program working with Dr. Amy Keating.

Physics/Chemistry double-major Rachel Carey spent the summer of 2010 at Harvard working in the laboratory of world-famous physical chemist George Whitesides with Le Moyne alum Charles Mace, currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Whitesides lab.

Engineering student Gregory Georgiadis interned as an engineer at Sensis Corporation the summer of 2010.

Le Moyne has broken ground on the first phase of science facilities for the 21st century — an all-new addition to our existing laboratories that will house most of physics, in addition to biology labs and the PA program! When construction on the addition is complete in Fall 2011 or Spring 2012, work will begin on renovating the existing Coyne Science Center, bringing state-of-the-art teaching and work spaces to Le Moyne.

The LEEPS Learning Community and other interested students visited Lockheed Martin in Syracuse on April 29, 2010, speaking with Lockheed engineers and touring laboratories and facilities.

The Physics Club ran a most outrageous "Oobleck" demonstration for Le Moyne's Spring 2010 Dolphy Day!

The LEEPS Learning Community and the Physics Club went to Brookhaven National Laboratory over Spring break, 2010, touring the superconducting magnet division, the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, and the ATLAS detector collaboration.

Engineer Jeff Marier of Lockheed Martin joined us for lunch on March 26, 2010.

Associate Professor of Physics and Director of the Program in Physics David Craig published two papers on the role of quantum decoherence in quantum cosmology, one in Foundations of Physics, and another in an American Institute of Physics volume Reconsideration of Quantum Foundations, early in 2010.

LEEPS Learning Community students visited the LC Smith College of Engineering at Syracuse University on February 19, 2010 to get to know SU staff and facilities.

The LEEPS Learning Community and other interested students visited Sensis Corporation headquarters on November 20, 2009, speaking with Sensis co-founder Ernie Rockwood and several Sensis engineers.